This fish story is about a lobster, but it’s all right and its veracity is vouched for by Capt. Emery Gray, one of the most hardy and daring fishermen on the island of Vinalhaven, off the Maine coast. In fact, Capt. Gray is the hero of the story, or, at least, shares first honors with the lobster.
    One morning, so the tale runs, the doughty captain was strolling along the shore near the mouth of Indian creek with a clam hoe in his hands, when he caught sight of a lobster claw protruding from the sand. The unusual side to this discovery was that the claw was about a hundred times larger than any whole crustacean the captain had ever encountered. Thinking it was but a lifeless relic of some species, belonging to ages agone, the captain gave the claw a sharp blow with the hoe.
    It proved to belong to the very active present, however, and snapping its claw on the offending weapon. the lobster nearly wrenched it from Gray’s hand. The timely appearance of another fisherman enabled the captain to dig up the giant beast from its hole in the sand. Securing the lobster with heavy fishline, the men dragged it home, where it immediately became the center of a group of astonished natives. The lobster was fastened to a pile supporting a dock, but the following morning there was a pile missing; also the lobster, which had been named Hercules because of its immense size. A search soon revealed the crustacean’s whereabouts from the roily water caused by dragging the heavy pile, and he was recaptured after another fierce struggle in which the fishermen’s boat was nearly wrecked by the beast’s tremendous struggles. The animal died soon after being recaptured, however, not standing captivity well. A photographer secured the picture herewith presented, in which Capt. Gray is seen near by.

From— The Columbus Commercial. (Columbus, Miss.), 07 July 1903. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.